'It's our space': Thunder Bay residents rally to save parkette as city aims to sell land for housing

Residents of a small southside neighbourhood in Thunder Bay, Ont., say they're willing to fight once again to save their parkette from being sold by the city and redeveloped into housing.

Holly Parkette is one of eight municipal properties recommended by city staff as surplus land. Councillors will discuss the properties Monday night before voting later in June on which lands to sell.

It's all part of the city's housing strategy as it looks to capitalize on the $20.7 million secured through the federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). Thunder Bay has committed to building 1,691 new homes by February 2027.

This isn't the first time Holly Parkette has been on the chopping block. Community members came together to spare the green space in 2017. The following year, the city paid for trees and a pollinator garden to be planted there.

"I'm feeling deflated. I'm feeling that the work that we did [in 2017] hasn't been reviewed extensively by the city," said resident Maggie Redfern-Pucci, who has lived in the neighbourhood her entire life.

"This is a community hub and the reason why I think we engage so well is that we have this space that's neutral. It belongs to everybody and it's our space."

Parkette not underutilized, say residents

Corinne and Gus Barclay have lived on Holly Crescent since 1961. They say the parkette has been used for everything from parties, picnics, fireworks and corn roasts — it even hosted an ice rink at one point.

"I've used this lot for over 50 years," said resident Rob Urban. "There's going to be another generation of kids coming here to use it. It'd be disheartening to see this developed into houses."

After the parkette was almost sold seven years ago, residents told CBC News they believed the property was grandfathered in as permanent green space.

"This is something that adds to our mental health. It's a place where you can go, you can sit, you can watch the birds, the trees — we have a fox in the back here," added resident Brenda Polhill.

Of the eight properties being recommended as surplus, six of them are parkettes.

Westfort Coun. Kristen Oliver said it seems "counterproductive" to redevelop a space in which the city — and residents — have invested.

"I do know that we've identified spaces in this community where they're completely underutilized and they would make a lot more practical sense to see a number of houses constructed within the municipality rather than just the one-off parkette neighbourhoods like we're seeing here," Oliver said.

'There are going to be trade-offs'

Last spring, city council directed staff to look at vacant land, parkland and parking lots that could potentially be sold to support housing. Staff created a list of roughly 40 properties and are now breaking those down into smaller batches of properties for council's consideration.

Work is underway to put an initial 10 properties on the market, as council prepares to debate the next eight properties — including Holly Parkette — this month.

Deanna Walker, Thunder Bay's manager of realty services, said the city has received substantial feedback, both positive and negative, from the public. However, she recognizes people's concerns about loss of green space.

"Under the Housing Accelerator Fund, there is a transformational opportunity for the City of Thunder Bay," Walker said.

"We understand that there are going to be trade-offs for what we're trying to accomplish, and we are doing our best to capitalize on this opportunity to provide housing in the City of Thunder Bay while being mindful where we can be about the impacts of that."

As such, staff are recommending that city council direct net proceeds from the sale of green spaces for housing back to the parks department.

A big part of the city's housing strategy is to build on existing infrastructure as much as possible because this keeps costs at a minimum.

"What that means is concentrating development within an area that already has access to city water, city sewer, city roads," Walker said. "If we drive the cost back into where we already are, that is infill — where buses run, where cars go, where water and sewer exist."

Health benefits of green spaces

Leigh Potvin is an associate professor and director of the school of outdoor recreation, parks and tourism at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.

She said the city is lucky to have so many green spaces, which have obvious benefits to people's mental and physical health.

The unique thing about neighbourhood parkettes is their accessibility, especially for those without access to a vehicle or who have mobility challenges, she said.

"It's nice for folks to be able to have access to those spaces and getting rid of these spaces will have the most detrimental effect on those people," Potvin said.

However, she also recognizes the tough task at hand as the city tries to balance sustainability with future growth. Still, Potvin praises the efforts of Holly Crescent residents to protect their parkette. 

"I think it's so exciting that people in their neighbourhoods are advocating for their neighbourhoods and saying, 'This is important to us and we want this thing to stay,'" Potvin said.

"There needs to be a plan and a commitment to doing these things sustainably and with an appreciation for the environment that you have in the region."